Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-01
= AUSTlN'S OUfRAGES.
The Series Of Bloody Deeds of 1885
and 1886 Recalled VividIy to Mind
by q Pending Murder Trial.
Moses H. Hancock, Husband OF Mrs
Sue Hancock, Rests Under The Grave
Charge Of KilIIBg His Wife.
VoIumi1ous Testimony Detailing the DC
cuIrencss immediately Following
the Assassination,
AUSTIN CRIMINAL HISTORY

AUSTIN CRIMINAL HISTORY.
s pecial 10 the Gazette.
AUSTIN, Tex, May 31.-The readers of
HE GAZETTE will remember the two
fearful assassinations of two married
white women of Austin on Christmas Eve
night Of 1885. These were Mrs. Sue
Hancock and Mrs. Eula Phillips,
both OF which cases alone, with
the servant girl murders in
Austin in the same year have gained ma
tional notoriety. Both women were killed
at their homes, which were not more than
SIX blocks spart, and about the hour OF
midnight. B2th women were cut with an
ak, and iR Mrs. Hancock's case
sharp instrument appeared t.
have been driven into the ear
as she slept. The five coloTed servant
girls, previously murdered, were all
killed in the same way, cut with q natchet
or ak in the head and dragged out into
the Yards, in majority of cases showing
evidence OF having been rsvlshed. These
murders nave never been explained and
probably never will be. There are
TWO THEORIES,
OuE iuzt l4C SAlliG llGAO VI GARDNt NNAIOAl
killed au these women, another that with
lust or jealousy Lthe motive the murders
were committed by different persons.
Moses Il. Hancock, the husband of
the murdered Mrs Sue Hancock,
is now on trial IN the
District court OF Travis county, charged
with her murder. Following is some OF
the testimony adduCed to-day.
Boscoe Burt testified: He reCollected
The night of The murder as they sent for
his fataer to visit Mrs. Hancock
and he went with him. When
they arrived there he found 2
crowd. About twenty or thirty minutes
after my arrival l met Mrs. Davis, az
cid school matrOH, and she proposed
that we
,s,,s EXAMINE TIE PREMISES,
Witch we did. We visited Mrs. Han
cocks room md found where she
slept on the bed. The cover
was turned down, and we
saw small quantity of blood on the bot
tom sheet. we then went into the room
where Mr.. Hancock said he slept. On
bis bed we found spot of blood on the
sheet 1t was about the size of g dollar.
Mr.. Davis went into the room first and put
his hand on the bed, but L don't know
whether he turned down the cover or not.
On the stand in the room was
A PAN OF WATER,
and the floor in front of it was wet. The
water in the pan had the appearance of
being greasy, looked like dishwater and
had no appearance of being bloody. We
looked through the bureau and under the
BED, but discovered nothing. A young
men, think named Hagey, came in with
some young ladies short time
after reached the house, aid before we
commenced our examination. Hsgey
told US he boarded there, and showed Us
the room In which he slept. We found
nothing suspicious in his room. When l
reached the house only
ONE LIGHT WAS BURNING,
and that was in the room where
Mrs. Hancock was lying. We
left the house by the front door and q
snort distance from It we found bloody
axe. 1t seemed as if the body OF Mrs
Hancock had been dragged over i. as it
had blood on the top and had made an
impression in the ground. We then
went to where the body was found and
saw pool of blood. We followed the
trail from there to the house. Where the
platform Joins the house l found
PEARL SHIRT BUTTON
on the bloody trail. Mr.. Hancock
of his shirt sleeve when
was his and claimed it. saw no blood
on the fence nor did 1 fnd any on the
buildings. We found none after leaving
the kitchen. We saw lots Of tracks as the
crowd had gathered. We examined the
Persinger yard, but discovered nothing.
II saw Mr.. Hancock once in the yard
while we were making an examination,
but do not know
WHAT HE WAS DOING.
The space between the small clubhouse
and fence Is very narrow. l did not
notice Mr.. Hancock's clothing very
closely, but think he had on q pair of
pants. l noticed his shirt and saw tina /
his sleeve button was gone. l do no
recollect the color of his pants.
Cross examined: There were some
thirty or forty persons in the
house and yard when
got there. The only carriage
present was the one my father and myself
went In. Tom Glass came after my faith
er. 1 don't know who the driver was
Hagey and the girls came about twenty
minutes after we got there. don't know
what time DR.. Graves got there
MY father most of the time was
with Mr.. Hancock. don't know whether
Mrs. Persinger was there or not. saw
Mr.. Persinger. saw Mr.. Paul Haendt,
the barber, there but don't know when he
came. f1rst examined the room where
Mrs. Hancock slept. 1 don't
remember seeing any blood
leading from her room to
the room where she was lying wounded.
When we were trailing the tracks around
the axe was still lying on the ground and
had not been moved. picked it up. 1t
left its print on the ground. There was
no blood on the ground where il was ly-
ing. put it back. Mr.. Davis was with
me when picked it up. 1 don't remem-
Der that Mr.. Davis told me that the axe
was there before we started out. We
passed the axe before we reached the
large pool of blood. The blood was on
the top of the axe as if it dropped there
when the body was dragged over it, and [
don't remember seeing any blood on the
DO ttom of'it. / don't remember seeing